GM Remains Committed To Chevy Sonic In U.S. Market
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Even though General Motors is discontinuing the the Chevy Sonic in Canada after the 2018 model year, the automaker will keep the subcompact car range around.
“We remain committed to the Chevrolet Sonic in the U.S.”, Katie Minter of Chevrolet Communications told GM Authority in a statement.
Sales Results - USA - Sonic
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 355 | 355 | 355 | 149 | 149 | 149 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1,581 |
| 2020 | 1,447 | 1,447 | 1,447 | 704 | 704 | 704 | 1,449 | 1,449 | 1,449 | 736 | 736 | 736 | 13,007 |
| 2019 | 1,487 | 1,487 | 1,487 | 1,341 | 1,341 | 1,341 | 716 | 716 | 716 | 1,113 | 1,113 | 1,113 | 13,971 |
| 2018 | 968 | 1,081 | 3,934 | 1,527 | 1,527 | 1,528 | 2,428 | 2,428 | 2,428 | 922 | 922 | 922 | 20,613 |
| 2017 | 2,095 | 2,140 | 3,385 | 1,645 | 2,143 | 6,550 | 2,552 | 2,181 | 1,356 | 1,576 | 2,721 | 1,946 | 30,290 |
| 2016 | 3,678 | 4,241 | 4,708 | 5,102 | 2,980 | 7,583 | 4,844 | 4,122 | 3,851 | 4,689 | 3,082 | 6,375 | 55,255 |
| 2015 | 3,521 | 2,900 | 4,894 | 8,700 | 9,067 | 7,894 | 5,102 | 4,677 | 3,780 | 3,294 | 3,653 | 7,293 | 64,775 |
| 2014 | 6,587 | 7,586 | 10,060 | 7,655 | 8,784 | 9,718 | 6,430 | 12,799 | 8,328 | 5,263 | 4,852 | 5,456 | 93,518 |
| 2013 | 7,177 | 6,025 | 6,907 | 8,151 | 9,523 | 7,122 | 6,055 | 11,354 | 7,335 | 6,850 | 4,712 | 4,435 | 85,646 |
| 2012 | 5,712 | 7,900 | 8,251 | 6,387 | 7,205 | 6,785 | 6,278 | 8,703 | 7,525 | 5,495 | 5,016 | 5,990 | 81,247 |
| 2011 | 280 | 1,426 | 3,833 | 4,496 | 5,743 | 15,778 |
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.
- Note: starting with April 2018, sales data averaged evenly from quarterly sales reports
Sonic sales have fallen drastically over the past several years: Chevy moved 93,518 units of the Sonic in 2014 but only 20,613 units in 2018 – a drop of 78 percent.
It’s worth noting that, during this timeframe, GM had significantly modified its business model, reducing sales to daily rental fleet customers, which have traditionally varied from being unprofitable to only being slightly profitable.
Interestingly, GM’s market share of the mainstream subcompact segment (B segment) has dwindled in recent years, but those of other automakers – namely Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Honda – have risen at the Sonic’s expense. So as consumers continue to switch from cars to crossovers, GM and its Chevy Sonic line are seeing a disproportionate amount of impact compared to other rivals in the subcompact space.
The scenario is not much better in Canada, where Sonic sales have been cut in half over the past few years. In 2014, GM delivered just a smidge over 8,000 units of the subcompact car. In 2017, that number fell 44 percent to 4,491 units.
GM Canada told us that dropping the Chevrolet in the market “will allow Chevrolet to focus [its] car strategy in areas where there is more customer interest, specifically the Spark in the Small Car segment” – where Chevy sees “volume and market share opportunities moving forward.”
Sales have all but dwindled to 37 units in October 2018 and 12 units in November 2018.
Sales Results - Canada - Sonic
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2018 | 332 | 290 | 359 | 442 | 659 | 309 | 179 | 135 | 69 | 37 | 12 | 19 | 2,842 |
| 2017 | 364 | 146 | 388 | 558 | 743 | 513 | 314 | 203 | 280 | 336 | 331 | 315 | 4,491 |
| 2016 | 206 | 210 | 436 | 694 | 912 | 384 | 201 | 220 | 276 | 137 | 345 | 383 | 4,404 |
| 2015 | 205 | 346 | 528 | 948 | 721 | 577 | 462 | 336 | 485 | 430 | 424 | 301 | 5,763 |
| 2014 | 345 | 423 | 808 | 1,202 | 1,021 | 872 | 625 | 495 | 554 | 566 | 470 | 655 | 8,036 |
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.
The only other market where GM currently offers the Sonic is South Korea. The model, which is made locally at the GM Bupyeong plant, tallies under 1,000 units sold annually. The Sonic has already been sunset in all other markets where it was previously available, including China, Mexico, Central and South America.
The question now is, exactly how long will GM remain committed to the Sonic in the United States, where the model is manufactured at the GM Lake Orion plant in Michigan.
About Chevrolet Sonic
The Chevrolet Sonic is a subcompact family of vehicles that include a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback. Having replaced the Aveo in the Chevrolet lineup, the Sonic is currently Chevrolet's second-smallest car, slotting above the Chevrolet Spark city car but below the compact Chevrolet Cruze, midsize Chevrolet Malibu and full-size Chevrolet Impala.
The current model was introduced for the 2012 model year and represents the first generation of the Sonic nameplate. The model rides on the GM Gamma platform shared with the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore.
The Sonic was given a midcycle refresh for the 2017 model year. The 2018 Chevy Sonic represents the sixth model year of the first-generation Sonic. The vehicle remains fairly competitive in its segment and the 2018 model year brings a handful of changes, including a new exterior color, a change to the Sun and Sound Package, and the standardization of the seven-inch diagonal color touchscreen.
For the 2019 model year, the Sonic gained one new exterior color (while losing two other colors), the removal of the base 1.8L naturally-aspirated Ecotec engine, and several other minor equipment-level changes.
The Sonic is assembled at the following plants:
- GM Lake Orion plant in Orion Township, Michigan, USA operated by GM USA supplying United States and Canada
- GM Bupyeong plant in South Korea operated by GM Korea supplying Korea (previously supplied Holden Barina for Australia and New Zealand)
- GM Cairo plant in Egypt operated by GM Egypt (plant idled)
- GM Hanoi plant in Vietnam operated by GM Vietnam (plant sold and no longer producing GM models)
A March 2017 rumor stated that GM would discontinue the Sonic as soon as 2018. As of this writing, it's unclear whether or not the nameplate will see a second generation. In November 2018, General Motors announced that it will discontinue the Chevrolet Cruze, along with five other passengers cars. Though the Sonic was not on that list, the model was discontinued in Canada. The move leaves the United States and South Korea as the only two markets where the model is currently available.
Related News & Info
- GM news
- GM forums
- Chevrolet Sonic information
- Running GM sales results
- Running Chevrolet sales results
- Running Chevrolet Sonic sales results
- Running Chevrolet sales results
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Just like how they were committed to the CT6. Give it time, next month they’ll announced they’re canceling it.
This is yet another example why Mark Reuss, GM’s head of Global Product Development, was only paid $7,726,508 last year. One can only imagine what he would have earned if he actually developed a successful product. If anyone can think of one, I’d like to hear it. And no, a third place pickup truck redesign doesn’t count.
since the cruze is going away sales of the Sonic should pickup. They actually could make it a very successful car. It does need a update but it could catch a large range of the small car market if they do it right. Make is little bigger and make performance model and normal model in both hatch and sedan and it could do well.
I echo Joe’s comment and also add that if GM/Chevrolet would spend a little advertising money on the Sonic, that would help too. As an owner of a 2012 MY Sonic Hatchback, I remember how the airwaves were flooded with commercials about the Sonic (remember when they dropped it out of an airplane and the ‘bungee jump’ among other stunts?).
I honestly can’t remember the last time GM had any advertisement on the little Sonic.
Might go up a little but not more then that if any. Might go down…. who wants to go to asmaller car with worse fuel economy, when they can go elsewhere and get what they want. Not to mention ticking off consumers (weather current or future) by shipping stuff out of the country and thounds losing there jobs. When you can go to several other manufacturers that actually build and are invested in the USA
?
Maybe they have other ideas for the Sonic. No one but GM has the answer. Everyone one else is just guessing.
It’s a good thing us Pontiac customers don’t have to be committed to General Motors anymore!
I’d like to see this car continue, but not seeing it. Updating it before 2017-when it should have been redesigned to keep it fresh-probably would have been a good idea. Its not perfect, but better than Cruze or the dreadful Aveo or any other previous subcompact/lower-compact. Why can’t we just federalize the redesigned Sail on the GEM architecture in China, build it in Mexico and/or Orion, and voila, next Sonic! So that way there still is a sub-Malibu car, and there certainly is NO NEED between China, Latin America, North America for more than 2 subcompact/lower compact.
Hmmm… If GM says it’s commited to Sonic… It will be killed soon.
Wait and see.
Well look at that, when they changed the styling from mini muscle car to mini… meh, in 2017 the sales plummeted by the largest percent of any of the years. Just make an AWD one based on the Trax AWD system beefed up a bit, give it 200 – 250HP, and build a fan base for the car. The people that drive the hot version will tell other people how much they love the little thing, then those people will buy the regular non-hawt one because $$… does no one understand how halo cars work any more? Mitsu forgot, they’re dying, Subaru is in the process of forgetting (forester XT??) and that’ll kill them if it extends to the impreza. While Hyundai and Kia are rolling in it because of cars like the Stinger and Hyundai N… wtf chevy.
Perfect filler for a plant that can also build electric cars. They can keep building it as they ramp up their electric car production. Good call on GM management.
Nobody has said it yet so I guess I will. Slap the 6.2L V8 in it and it will sell like hotcakes.
Just as they were committed to the sedan and certain models a few months ago. Well until they changed their minds yet again and killed off 6 of them. How are they going to justify keeping this older model with an old drivetrain going when sales are this bad and Canada is dropping this car altogether? The Cruze should have been the car to have survived.
They can easily put the new 1.4 in this car and they might. Again they have said they were committed to other cars and not they are gone.
I knew they wouldn’t discontinue the Sonic. There is too much potential, and too big of a audience the Sonic can be targeted towards. The Sonic needs to rival the Corolla! The Chevy sonic was my first car purchase. I’ve had several reliability issues with mine, but nonetheless, I still enjoy driving it. There are lots of things to improve, and the driving dynamics, is definitely a big one. Either keep the Chevy Sonic as an ICE, and update it with the 1.5T from the Malibu, with the 2.0T as an option, introduce STANDARD safety features such as AEB, Lane Keep Assist, and others, or convert it into a BEV.
Fxck those Japanese
Not hatch. But will they build it?
I’d prefer to kill the Spark & Sonic , Keep the Cruze & make it into a even better car which GM can if they wanted…
The Sonic fits in between Spark & Cruze. In sedan form it’s longer than many realize. I think Sonic and Malibu are good keepers for sedan fans such as myself who don’t need to get their testosterone from driving an SUV.
But, admittedly, I am a dying breed….
Testosterone from driving an SUV? That’s funny , thousands of women drive SUVs. What does that even mean?